Jack Thomas Leiter (born April 21, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected by the Rangers with the second overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Leiter is the son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter.
Early life
Raised in Summit, New Jersey, Leiter attended
Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, where he played
baseball and was teammates with
Anthony Volpe.
[Rosenstein, Mike. "MLB Draft 2021: N.J.’s Jack Leiter, son of ex-Yankees, Mets pitcher Al Leiter, tumbles in latest ranking of top prospects", NJ.com, May 13, 2021. Accessed May 13, 2021. "Leiter, the Summit, N.J. native who played high school ball for the Delbarton School in Morristown, is 7-2 this season with a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts."] In July 2018, he played in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game.
In December, he played on the
USA Baseball 18U National Team in
Panama City during the 2018 COPABE Pan-American Championships, helping Team USA win a gold medal.
As a senior at Delbarton in 2019, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of
New Jersey.
At the time of his selection, he was 6–0 with a 0.54 ERA while also batting .364.
Leiter was considered a top prospect for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, but due to his strong commitment to Vanderbilt University, was not selected until the 20th round by the New York Yankees, but did not sign.
College career
He attended Vanderbilt University to play
college baseball.
In his college debut on February 18, 2020, Leiter pitched five no-hit innings while striking out 12, leading Vanderbilt to a 3–0 victory over the University of South Alabama.
He was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Co-Freshman of the Week following the performance.
Over 15 innings, Leiter went 2–0 with a 1.72 ERA before the college baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a redshirt freshman in 2021, Leiter returned as a member of Vanderbilt's starting rotation.
On March 20, 2021, he pitched a no-hitter in his SEC debut against South Carolina, compiling sixteen strikeouts.
In his next start, he pitched seven no-hit innings against Missouri.
He was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year alongside being selected a consensus first-team All-American.
He helped lead Vanderbilt to the 2021 College World Series finals and was named to the All-Tournament team.
Leiter ended the 2021 season having started 18 games, in which he compiled an 11–4 record, a 2.13 ERA, and 179 strikeouts over 110 innings.
He was named the
Baseball America 2021 Freshman of the Year.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
The Texas Rangers chose Leiter with the second overall selection in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.
Leiter signed with Texas on July 28, 2021, receiving a $7.92 million
signing bonus.
Leiter attended an organization draftee orientation at the Rangers
Surprise Stadium after signing, but did not appear in a professional game in 2021, instead choosing to return to Vanderbilt to continue college course work.
Leiter opened the 2022 season with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Texas League.
Texas Rangers (2024–present)
On April 18, 2024, the Texas Rangers selected Leiter’s contract and promoted him to make his major league debut that day against the Detroit Tigers.
In his debut game, he allowed eight hits and seven earned runs with three strikeouts in innings to earn a no decision as the Rangers ultimately won against the Tigers 9–7.
In his first season with the Rangers, Leiter had a rocky season with a 10-10 record and 3.86 ERA but struck out 148 batters in 151 innings.
Personal life
Leiter's father,
Al Leiter, pitched in MLB for 19 seasons.
His uncle,
Mark Leiter, and his cousin, Mark Leiter Jr., have also played in MLB.
Leiter graduated from Vanderbilt in December 2023 with a degree in human and organizational development.
External links
